EVENTS

Great moments in nepotism

At one of the G20 meetings currently going on in Hamburg, Germany that dealt with the important question of how to improve the conditions in some African countries in order to stem the tide of refugees fleeing awful conditions, who do you think represented the US among the other 19 heads of state and sat between Germany’s president Angela Merkel and China’s president Xi Jinping? Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, or National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, all of whom are present as part of the US delegation?

So why wasn’t Trump at this important meeting? Did it conflict with his afternoon nap? And what do these other leaders think about a total novice sitting among them?

Yes, we have reached the stage where even the most corrupt and nepotistic dictator in the world might well say to Trump, “Whoa, dial it back, dude! That’s going too far.” But the Trump family does not know what shame is.

The US is increasingly isolated. When it came to climate change, the G20 became the G19, a grouping that includes China and Russia.

Donald Trump was left isolated at the end of a fractious G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, after every other world leader signed up to a declaration that the Paris climate agreement was irreversible following an unprecedented standoff.

After the publication of a final communique that saw the emergence of a G19 grouping for the first time, Theresa May said she was “dismayed at the US decision to pull out” of the accord and had personally urged the president to reconsider.
…

The G20 meeting saw a number of tense encounters between Trump and other world leaders, with a particular clash between him and the French delegation over climate change, but also tensions over protectionism and the overproduction of steel.

The final communique said: “We take note of the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from the Paris agreement.” It added: “The leaders of the other G20 members state that the Paris agreement is irreversible.”

However, the US did succeed in forcing in a controversial reference to helping countries access fossil fuels in a clean way – to the fury of environmental campaigners.

Steve Price-Thomas, Oxfam’s director of advocacy and campaigns, said: “With the other 19 members firmly defending the Paris agreement as irreversible, President Trump’s stubborn insistence on propping up the fossil fuel industry leaves him isolated and stuck in the past.” He also accused the G20 of treating the world’s poorest as an afterthought.

Not to worry! That dynamic power couple of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner will solve all the world’s problems just as soon as they can spare some time from their dubious and exploitative business ventures.

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Comments

My own theory is that DT had Ivanka take his place because she’s more mentally agile than he is, and more capable of understanding complicated issues than he is. So she acts as a sort of interpreter for him. That may also explain why DT has sometimes had Ivanka around during various meetings.

Yes, and given the choice of Donald or Ivanka at the table the rest of the G20 probably were relieved to have someone who could likely grasp the issues and maintain concentration long enough to survive the meeting.

Reports I saw only mentioned her as being in the seat for a while, not during the whole shindig… and she didn’t say anything, just warmed the seat. One dude up above opined that he brings her along because she can act as his interpreter and rememberer. Probably a good idea.

I remember back when Bill Clinton had Hillary involved in heath care – I thought it was inappropriate that an unelected family connection put someone in charge of an important piece of public policy. I guess it’s a sign of how bad things have gotten that Hillary’d look so good in comparison. The next is when Trump puts a horse in charge of something, because, tradition!

Given that Ivanka is acknowledged as an unpaid assistant/consultant/whatever to the President, I don’t see it as all that bad. Not exactly ideal but not all that bad But then I’m not American and up-to-date on US Gov’t etiquette.
She already sits in on various briefings does she not? If so, she almost certainly has a better grasp of issues than her father does.

jrkrideau, her relatively greater competence aside, it doesn’t faze you that she can sit for him though she has no formal status when you’ve intimated that having the ear of Ivanka is tantamount to having the ear of the President?

Ivanka: Daddy, I just heard from uncle Vladimir that you are about to launch a nuclear strike on Phnom Penh.
Donald: That’s right honey. It seems there is rampant voter fraud in North Korea. The Dear Leader only got 110% of the vote. Come over here and help daddy press the big red button.